The present invention relates to a safety device and more particularly to such a device for lint cleaners and the like through which lint is traveled in a predetermined path in a bat which varies in thickness between acceptable limits and occasionally exceeds such limits adapted to render the lint cleaner inoperable whenever the bat exceeds a predetermined thickness.
In the cotton ginning art, lint cleaners are notorious for maiming their operators. The lint to be cleaned is traveled in an air stream to a condenser on which the lint accumulates and from which it is removed by doffers in the form of a bat which is directed between cooperative rollers for further processing. The bat varies in thickness to a considerable extent and when it becomes too thick, it jambs up the feed rollers and/or the doffers. When this occurs, an attendant opens an access door and endeavors to remove the excess lint and correct the cloggage. Many times this is done without turning off the cleaner. In many other instances, even if the cleaner is turned off, the momentum of its driving motor, drive linkage, and driven components maintains rotation for 5 minutes or more. Thus, because of impatience, forgetfulness or carelessness, attendants frequently take corrective measures while the feed rollers and doffers are still rotating. When this is done, the attendant frequently gets his arm caught between the feed rollers and in a matter of seconds, his arm is mangled and in many instances torn from his body. The injuries are almost identical and are so serious that only a very small percentage of those so injured ever regain the use of the arm involved. Prior to the present invention, the industry has endeavored to minimize such accidents by warning and education but human error continues to result in repetition of such injury.